Various realms of abundant Russian culture owe to particular people, great personalities, original pioneers and founders of diverse art genres and tendencies. Thus, the sad Pierrot Alexander Vertinsky went into history as the first vivid Russian songwriter of the 20th century, whereas, for example, film-director Mikhail Romm turned to be the great teacher of many cult figures of Russian film art, including the peerless Andrei Tarkovsky. The distinctive writer, film director and actor Vasili Shukshin, the world-famous sculptor and artist Mikhail Shemyakin, the splendid painter Zinaida Serebryakova, groundbreaking icon-painter Andrei Rublyov, the queen of Russian folk song Lidia Ruslanova, the great bass Fyodor Shalyapin, to name but a few... Here you can learn about these and other gems of Russian culture, both classical and contemporary.